Weight Loss Solutions For The New Year

Every January 1st, millions of Americans resolve to lose weight. Usually, it starts out promising, as evidenced by the surge in gym memberships and sales of weight loss books during the early weeks of the year. But as time passes, motivation begins to wane.

According to a study published by U.S. News & World Report, 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail by the second week of February – which means the vast majority of people will give up on their weight loss goals before Valentine’s Day rolls around.

This year, resolve to be part of the 20 percent who keep their New Year’s weight loss resolutions. Here are six tips that’ll help you commit to dropping the pounds this January – and help you keep them off until December (and beyond).

1. Create a vision board

Achieving a goal requires constant motivation and reminders of how and why you should stay focused. A vision board provides you with positive imagery to inspire you to keep moving forward. There are no rules for creating a weight loss vision board – it’s yours and yours alone – but to get started, think about what motivates you and makes you happy.

Inspirational quotes, photos of outfits you want to wear, healthy recipes you want to try, or counters to keep track of your progress are all good places to start.

2. Plan your meals in advance

A little advanced planning can help you stick to your healthy eating goals and make it less likely that you’ll succumb to impulsive snacking or poor food choices. At the beginning of each week, sit down and work out a meal plan.

Do all your grocery shopping at once, adhering strictly to your shopping list. And prepare meals beforehand, so you don’t have to worry about putting together healthy ingredients when hunger suddenly strikes.

3. Schedule your workouts

Staying committed to a regular workout routine is crucial to meeting your weight loss goals. But let’s face it: we all have those days when we just don’t feel like hitting the gym, even though we know we’re supposed to.

If you schedule your workouts ahead of time, you may be less likely to skip them. Put them on your calendar to hold yourself accountable. This will help you to remain consistent and prevent other events from getting in the way of your exercise time.

4. Record your progress

Keeping track of your weight loss journey can help you measure the efficacy of workouts, remember recipes you’ve loved (or hated), identify triggers for cravings, and see how far you’ve come.

Apps like MyFitnessPal can make portion control easier to handle and help you find new foods to try, while journaling about how you feel can be a good way to maintain motivation when you’re ready to throw in the towel.

5. Make sleep a priority

Studies show there are significant connections between sleep and weight. Poor sleep can slow down your metabolism, increase your appetite, and raise levels of insulin and cortisol, which can prompt your body to store more fat – particularly in the abdominal area.

To give yourself the best chance at hitting your goal weight, try to get eight hours of quality sleep each night.

When you participate in a medical weight loss program, you’ll have regular check-ins with a health practitioner who will measure your progress and adjust your plan as needed to help keep you on track to achieve your goals.

Lose weight with Viva Wellness Medical Group

If you’re struggling to lose weight, or have had difficulty keeping off the weight you’ve lost, Viva Wellness may be able to help. We offer both medical weight loss therapy and an HCG diet program to help control your cravings, curb your appetite, and drop those extra pounds.